Prerequisites, Application & Enrollment

Students are required to have had a minimum of one year of formal practice under an established teacher to be admitted to the program. Accommodations for injuries and special learning needs will be addressed by the instructors to the best of their abilities. Thoughtful reflection on your application will help the instructors to understand your needs.

The application for admission is available on-line. The application must be turned in with a $75 non-refundable application fee to be considered. Candidates for enrollment will be invited to set up an enrollment interview with the Director. Upon acceptance into the program, an enrollment contract must be signed and submitted along with applicable fees before the first day of classes.

2019-2020 Insight Program

Program Components

*Week One Intensive – Margi Clifford with Heidi Weiland

Yoga camp! This week-long course will support participants’ introduction to both theory and practice, classical yoga and modern applications. Posture, breathing and meditation practices for sharing with other people in preparation for RYT certification or other integration. We’ll get to know more about the demographics of yoga students and how to accommodate a wide range of conditions in practice. With catered Ayurvedic meals included, you’ll get to fully enjoy the nourishing effects of the practices yourself!

*Week Two Intensive – Margi with Heidi

Yoga camp take two! This week-long course will continue to support participants’ study of yoga in preparation for teaching. Posture, breathing and meditation practices for sharing with others with more advanced techniques and complex variations as well as additional tools for special populations. Again, with catered Ayurvedic meals and mindful eating instruction and practice included, you reap the benefits of what you continue to sow. Some student teachers may begin practicum teaching during this intensive.

**Yoga for Mental Health – Margi

Yoga for mental health concepts and application for yoga students and teachers. Students will learn foundations of emotional and mental health including structure and function of the nervous system and current understandings from neuroscience and psychology. Students will develop language for addressing mental and emotional health concepts in practice from both a western and an eastern perspective.

This course will increase students’ confidence working with concepts related to mental and emotional health and knowledge about how to incorporate these concepts into practice. Students will understand and be able to clearly articulate benefits of yoga and meditation. They will learn and practice basic techniques from a mental/emotional health perspective. Students will learn to modify techniques to accommodate client and group needs. Students will understand through experience the physiological effects of categories of postures: back bends, forward bends and restorative postures and breathing techniques. These are largely used in acute situations for parasympathetic nervous system activation or, down regulating effects.Trauma related treatment will be addressed and interested students may gain CEUs for ethics training.

**Teaching Methods – Margi

Students will learn techniques for investigation and communication of mind, body and soul from yoga, counseling psychology, neuroscience and physiology. How to use props, integrate other expressive arts, practice and teach inversions, and, use effective anatomical and philosophical language to guide personal practice and build leadership capacity. For RYTs, teacher trainees and allied practitioners.

**What’s My Type?– Margi

From horoscope signs, to Myers-Briggs, you’re either this kind of person or you’re that kind of person. We have the Doshas of Ayurveda, the Enneagram, archetypes and spirit animals as evidence of humans’ long fascination with ways to explain and distinguish their experience from that of another. In this course, students will learn about gene expression, nature v. nurture, and,methods for better understanding some aspects of personality and individual constitutions in order to facilitate effective treatments for healing and to help maintain good health lifelong. Several techniques will be presented, discussed for scientific validity, tested for efficacy when possible and offered for personal and professional applications.

Foundations of Teaching Yoga – Xochitl

Students will learn fundamental components of posture practice with special attention to transitions and variations for all populations. Techniques, training and practice: Sun and Moon sequences, standing postures, twists and variations, Restorative yoga for relaxation.Students will learn classical postures through practice and, teaching techniques through demonstration and discussion. Successful students will demonstrate postures in a way that reflects a balance of ease and effort. The Foundations of Teaching Yoga series includes opportunity for students to practice observing bodies, alignment, and indicators of distress. They will learn to offer modifications and adaptations and to encourage students to recognize their own postural foundations and habits.

Yoga for Childhood – Kristiann

Covering ages 6 weeks and up, this special focus class will give you tools and tips on how to connect with kids of all ages through yoga. We will discuss and explore yoga sequences for all states of childhood, including post-natal parent & baby yoga, yoga for wiggly preschoolers, for elementary school-age kids, and yoga to benefit the transitional years of tweens and teens. Yoga can help kids connect to their bodies and recognize their emotional states, build confidence,release stress, and can be used as a quieting technique for reflection and understanding. Yoga canbe especially beneficial to people with anxiety issues – and we shall focus on yoga poses to helpreduce anxiety in children and teens.

Yoga for Women/Prenatal Yoga – Kristiann

The female body undergoes many transitions throughout life, and yoga can help every step of the way. In this special focus class, we shall explore yoga approaches to help relieve many common physical discomforts of womanhood, including best poses for menstrual cramps, for enhancing fertility, during the incredible journey of pregnancy, and through the transition of menopause.With a specific focus on prenatal yoga, this class will demonstrate how to keep pregnant yoga students safe. We will learn which pose modifications are best for each of the three trimesters,which pranayama (breathwork) techniques are safest, and how to prop the pregnant body for maximum restorative benefits. Anatomy and physiology of hormonal changes throughout life, of the pregnant body, specific yoga pose adaptions, and techniques for relieving common physical discomforts shall be offered. Kristiann Maclean began teaching yoga in 2008 here in Anchorage, and credits her practice of prenatal yoga for keeping her sane and comfortable during her pregnancies, and as she journeys into menopause.

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction – Molly

MBSR is a comprehensive and supportive program that introduces participants to mindfulness practice in the form of sitting meditation, body awareness and mindful movement. Developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD at the University of Massachusetts Medical School’s Center for Mindfulness, MBSR’s potential for reducing stress, increasing resilience, and improving health and well being is well documented through 30 years of clinical study and the experience of tens of thousands of students worldwide. People who have participated in MBSR classes have found relief from a wide range of conditions, including chronic pain, migraine headaches, high blood pressure, anxiety, depression, insomnia and chronic disease. Participants learn to respond rather than react to the challenges of daily living, as well as how to integrate mindfulness into their lives.

Mindful Movement and Meditation – Stacia

Explore mindfulness meditation and mindful movement in this 4 class series. Mindfulness is the practice of bringing our attention to our present moment experiences, non-judgmentally and with a sense of friendliness and kindness. Four mindfulness practices will be introduced: the body scan meditation, awareness of breath, RAIN meditation, and loving-kindness meditation. Each class will include an introduction to mindfulness and a mindfulness meditation practice with an accompanying asana practice.

Apprenticeship – Faculty

Teacher trainees may complete required contact hours with a senior teacher from the Program’s faculty or, who is approved by the Program’s Director. Trainees may practice, observe, assist and/or lead practice that is currently offered by a senior/supervising teacher as is agreed upon with supervising teacher at the outset.

Independent Study

Teacher trainees may supplement contact hour requirements (125 total contact hours required) with up to 50 hours of workshops, classes, and/or private sessions offered by RYTs in their community. Program Director must approve course of study as teachers must meet minimum qualifications. You will be asked to bring your proposed schedule to your enrollment interview.

**The program includes opportunities for professional development and advanced study for students and allied professionals who are mature, inquisitive and dedicated. Continuing education credits may be available for Registered Yoga Teachers through Yoga Alliance and for licensed professionals through Alaska Pacific University.

Academic Policies, Grading, and Graduation

Minimum requirements for successful completion of the program:

Students must complete a minimum of 125 contact hours with approved instructors. Completion of additional contact hours and self study will be recorded by the student and approved by the Director. Successful completion of the Practicum Workshop will reflect the students ability to:

1. communicate clearly 2. sequence a series of asanas 3. give verbal cues and demonstrations for asana alignment 4. show basic knowledge of anatomy through correct reference to muscles and bones

This program is pass/fail. Students may request completion documentation at any time. A closing ceremony will be planned by the cohort.

Attendance and Class Participation

1) Students are expected to arrive 10 minutes early to class and be ready to begin promptly at the scheduled starting time. Attendance at all scheduled classes is expected. Students that arrive late more than four times will be put on probational status. If lateness continues, student may be subject to dismissal.

2) Students may not miss a total of more than 4 modules (equal to 24 hours), and will be expected to make up course content with home study, make up classes, and private tutoring. If there is a failure to make arrangements to complete missed course work, student may be subject to dismissal.

3) Arrangements may need to be made (see tutoring below) to assure adequate understanding of any missed material to meet program requirements for successful completion.

4) Students must bring completed homework assignments, textbooks, and supplemental materials with them to class.

5) Students must be prepared to discuss the required reading material during class.

6) Arriving late to class or leaving early must be excused by the instructor. Additional assignments may be given for the student to receive a passing grade at the discretion of the instructor.

Academic Assistance, Tutoring, and Support

1) Students are welcome to contact instructors at any time via email with questions about homework, class concepts, etc. Please do not hesitate to ask for help when it is needed. Program Director, Margi Clifford: margi@yogaformentalhealth.com; Program Manager, Maria Belozertseva: maria@yogaformentalhealth.com

2) Some instructors may be available for make-up and tutoring sessions at the rate of $100/hour. Arrangements may be made with individual instructors.

Probation, Dismissal, and Re-admittance

A student who fails to meet the Attendance and Class Participation requirements or who violates the Student Conduct Policy will be put on probationary status for a time period of up to 2 months. If the student has failed to meet academic requirements or if the student continues to violate the Attendance and Class Participation requirements when the probationary period expires, the student may be informed of their dismissal from the school in writing. Re-admittance will only be considered in extreme circumstances at the discretion of the faculty.

Student Conduct Policy

Yoga for Mental Health students are expected to accept and adhere to high standards of personal conduct. Students shall:

1. Conduct yourself as a representative of Yoga for Mental Health and the yoga profession while you are a student or intern at Yoga for Mental Health. 2. Treat all members of the community with courtesy, respect and dignity. 3. Treat facilities with respect, including buildings, grounds and furnishings. 4. Respect the rights and property of other members of the community. 5. Accept responsibility for and the consequences of their actions and encourage responsible conduct in others. 6. Have no firearms, weapons or any other item designed to inflict harm or damage at Yoga for Mental Health. Possession of these items at Yoga for Mental Health events and facilities is cause for immediate academic dismissal.

Class Conduct:

Students are expected to conduct themselves in class so others are not distracted from the pursuit of learning. Discourteous or unseemly conduct may result in a student being asked to leave the classroom. Persistent misconduct on the part of a student is subject to academic dismissal. Some examples of classroom misconduct that will not be tolerated include, but are not limited to the following: disorderly conduct; harassment; verbal abuse; assault; interference with the educational opportunity of other students.

Student Records

Student records will be maintained by Yoga for Mental Health for up to seven years. Once students complete the program they should register with Yoga Alliance to be recognized worldwide as a certified yoga teacher. At any time, students may request a copy of academic records. Such requests must be submitted in writing to the Center Director. Records will be given to the student within 5 business days of the written request.

Statement of Non-Transference

Yoga for Mental Health cannot guarantee that its credits or programs are transferable, and the transfer of credits is always at the discretion of the receiving institution, depending on the comparability of curricula and accreditation. Continuing education credits that are offered in partnership with third party organizations and institutions are subject to the fees and policies instituted by those organizations and institutions.

Student Records

Student records will be maintained by Yoga for Mental Health. Once students complete the program they should register with Yoga Alliance to be recognized worldwide as a certified yoga teacher. At any time, students may request a copy of academic records. Such requests must be submitted in writing to the Center Director. Records will be given to the student within 5 business days of the written request.